Easter gifts blast off for space station

Russian cargo ship carrying food and supplies for new crew

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MOSCOW — A Russian cargo ship carrying food and supplies, as well as Easter gifts, blasted off Monday for the international space station, the Russian space agency said.

The unmanned Progress M-56 ship lifted off from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan and is scheduled to dock at the orbiting space station on Wednesday. It is carrying nearly 3 tons of fuel, food and water, along with DVDs, CDs and books.

Russian cosmonaut Pavel Vinogradov and U.S. astronaut Jeffrey Williams began a six-month mission on the station April 1. The Progress vessel is also carrying parcels from the cosmonauts’ families with Easter gifts, the space agency said.

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